"We're absolutely determined to deliver first-class customer service and to maximise our operational efficiency as we move forward with our progressive development plans for the UK business."

Anthony Miller, managing partner at analyst firm TechMarketView, has said that the deal highlights Serco's desire to make its name in the BPO market.

He said: "It would be a bit previous to postulate that Serco presents a 'clear and present danger' to insurance business process services market leaders Capita and TCS. However, Serco is on a mission to boost its presence in 'back-office BPO',"

"Having said that, Serco's first attempt to break into this market back in 2005 when it acquired UK BPO 'local hero', ITNET, was in our opinion all but an abject failure, so management still has much to prove that Serco can be a success outside of its 'blue collar' support services comfort (and sometimes discomfort!) zone."